TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - The Lucas County Land Bank has reached the one-year mark, with the goal of boosting property values across the county.
Lucas County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz says so far the land bank has acquired or is in the process of acquiring more than 200 eyesore properties, "the land bank is a tool that can acquire tax foreclosed properties much more quickly than they ever could have been acquired in the past".
The program is funded by penalties on delinquent property tax payments and income from property sales.
One property turned around through the land bank is a commercial building at the corner of Detroit Ave. and Aberdeen Rd., now owned by Rachel White with Encore Furniture Exchange.
"This is my first business. It's something me and my family have been wanting to do for a long time. It's about bringing back to life things that were forgotten," said White.
The land bank is also in the process of working with David Johnson, owner of Johnson Produce Market in Toledo, to acquire several vacant lots in the area around Nebraska and Pulaski.
"We're in the process of trying to acquire that to create a bigger garden space and perhaps put some greenhouses for growing in the wintertime. I'd just like to see things look better than they are. Sometimes the first step is the step you take on your own," said Johnson.
Kapszukiewicz says the program aims to turn neighborhoods around, one property at a time.
"It's not going to happen overnight. What we're trying to do is restore value in neighborhoods," said Kapszukiewicz.
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